The wind seemed to be everywhere all at once. It was swirling from one direction, then the other. At first in turn, then simultaneously so you couldn’t tell where it was coming from. In the next moment, its force seemed to lift me and fill me from within so there was this great, rolling power residing inside me, battering at me from all sides. The wind in Utah in late February and early March is a force to be reckoned with. Add in the fact that I seemed to be allergic to something that was hiding in the red gritty dirt, and it really took my breath away.
While the windy and snowy weather was not ideal, visiting Utah during the late winter was idyllic and peaceful as the crowds were still hibernating. During our stay in Utah, we took the time to visit two state parks and a dinosaur museum. These were some of our favorite memories in this area!
A fan favorite: Goblin Valley State Park
Goblin Valley State Park is home to a magical geological wonderland. There are mountainous rock formations turned green from reduced iron, the typical red Utah rocks formed from oxidized iron, and goblins everywhere! A goblin, or hoodoo, is a tall, narrow rock formation, often with a mushroom like top. Goblin Valley State Park rivals its grown-up National Park System siblings in its hoodoos.
Right out of a fairytale, this place looks truly other-worldly. The kids loved that the entire valley is open to visitors climbing through and over the hoodoos. The hoodoos here were named goblins as the formation reminded someone of little goblins; however, we found all sorts of shapes in the formations. Due to the weather and season, we only saw two other groups the entire time we were there … in the parking lot. We didn’t run into anyone while we were exploring the valley.
The kids loved it so much that they begged John to return the following day while I was working. During that trip, they made their way up to Goblin’s Lair which is a slot canyon covered by rock fall. While the 2.5-mile hike was fairly easy, John reported there were a few iffy moments as they scrambled up to the cave’s mouth to peer in. The kids enjoyed the freedom of exploring at Goblin Valley State Park so much that they repeatedly asked if we could return.
Thirsty Horse Point
My kids second favorite spot in the Moab, Utah area was Dead Horse Point State Park. A stone’s throw from Canyonlands National Park, it shares some of the same canyons from a different vantage point. We stayed at Dead Horse Point State Park to watch the sun set over the canyon one evening. While we didn’t stay to see the night sky at either state park due to weather conditions, both are recognized as International Dark Sky Association Parks.
While the kids loved the views at Dead Horse Point State Park, they absolutely hated the name and its story. According to legend, cowboys rounded up the wild horses in the area and built a corral on a peninsula of a rocky cliff. They ended up choosing the finest horses from the lot, then left the rest of the horses, stuck in the corral. The horses died from thirst while in view of the Colorado river. They decided to refer to this park as “thirsty horse point” which does have a less jarring ring to it.
Moab Giants
We were thrilled when our friends traveled down to visit us during our time in Utah. Between the games, connection and great conversation, we fit in a trip to Moab Giants, a dinosaur museum in Moab. The day was overcast with sporadic rain showers, so we skipped the outdoor exhibits which included over 100 life sized dinosaur structures, footprints, and a small playground. Riley had been eyeing the dinosaur playground each time we passed the museum on our trips to other places, but her disappointment was barely shown as she was having such as good time with her friends. There is a small museum with some informative and interactive exhibits, an educational video in a 3-D theater, and a 5-D prehistoric aquarium experience. The 3-D film centered on the formation and evolution of the earth, including the dinosaurs’ time here. The aquarium was really unique. After donning some 3-D glasses, a tour guide led us through each exhibit. We were able to “see” all sorts of prehistoric creatures swimming in tanks. It was interesting enough that the adults would have enjoyed walking through a second time. At the end of the aquarium tour, there was an interaction with a megalodon at the end that including a floor shaking total body experience. Our group’s consensus was that the megalodon experience was a bit terrifying. All in all, the park/museum is cute and would be a good draw for dinosaur lovers but felt a bit overpriced for what we were able to do.
The best part of our experience was a behind the scenes tour! As we were wandering towards one of the theaters, a paleontologist volunteer was heading in to work and invited us to check out what she was doing! We had the awesome opportunity to touch fossils (apparently fossils are pretty hard to damage because they’ve basically turned into rock), compare our footprint with theirs, and even examine a bone that is currently being cleaned. This experience was incredible!
While we saw some amazing sights in Utah, I think my kids’ favorite part was visiting with our friends. I overheard Riley recently describe our friends as “good friends, like cousins” which warmed my heart.